Medical Jargon 101: Understanding Medical Terminology
Understanding Care Terms and Phrases
When you’re faced with lots of unusual words, abbreviations and acronyms in your care plan or from an appointment with a healthcare provider, understanding medical terminology can be difficult. However, by becoming familiar with a few key phrases, you or your loved ones will be better equipped next time you’re faced with words or letters that otherwise mean nothing to you. Helping Hands have a very helpful Care Jargon Buster, which we’ve developed to help our customers understand some of the terms that you might come across in your care plan or in wider care planning, which should help you to make sense of what you’re reading and hearing. The NHS also has a guide to many of the abbreviations you may find in your medical records or care plan.

Our Care Services and What They Mean
Helping Hands use particular terms for our care services so that you are aware of the services we offer and how they differ from each other. If you’re ever unsure of something regarding your Helping Hands care, it’s important to ask your carer or care manager for clarification. With us, you can expect to come across many terms, including the following:
Visiting Care
Visiting Care is when carers come to your home on prearranged days and at times mutually agreed. They’ll deliver a set schedule of care tasks within a timeframe that suits you and your circumstances. This can include personal care, housework, mobility support, meal preparation, supporting you outside the house and much more.
Domiciliary Care
Another term for care you receive at home, as a rule, Helping Hands use the term ‘visiting care’ more commonly. Domiciliary Care is basically the same as visiting care in the sense that it’s care you receive at home. You may find other companies and healthcare providers interchange the terms.
Live-in Care
When you’d like someone living in your home to provide companionship and care support, Live-in care ensures that you have company throughout the day and that all essential tasks are completed to your requirements. Having someone there to talk to and accompany you in whatever you wish to be doing can be a great comfort to both you and your loved ones.
24-hour Care
Different from live-in care, 24-hour care is provided around the clock, meaning you will usually have two live-in carers, one of whom will work days and one at night. This ensures your continuity of care and that your carers are adequately rested. This level of care is often put in place when a person is living with a complex condition or approaching the end of their life.
Respite Care
Respite care is temporary support for when your normal carers are not available or if you need short-term help recovering at home from an illness, accident or hospital stay. Your carers must recharge their batteries from time to time, and we offer consistent, exceptional care, helping you transition to us seamlessly.
Emergency Care
Things can change without warning, and sometimes care is needed in a hurry. Emergency Care can often be delivered within 24 hours of getting in touch with Helping Hands, so if a care provider has let you down or cannot provide support, get in touch. We can also provide emergency respite care for temporary urgent support.
Medical Abbreviations Used in Care
According to the NHS, there are many different terms that you may come across when talking about your care with your wider healthcare team. Some of them may be more familiar, such as A&E for Accident and Emergency Department and DNR/DNAR, which stands for Do Not Resuscitate/Do Not Attempt Resuscitation. However, some terms may appear on hospital records that are totally unfamiliar. These can include:
a.c – before meals
# – broken bone
BNO – Bowels Not Open
EMU – Early Morning Urine sample
M/R – Modified Release
PRN – As needed.

Conditions Faced by the Elderly and What They Truly Mean
As we age, we can have more of a tendency towards certain conditions, such as arthritis, problems with our eyes, hearing loss, dementia, diabetes and osteoporosis. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), “At the biological level, ageing results from the impact of the accumulation of a wide variety of molecular and cellular damage over time. This leads to a gradual decrease in physical and mental capacity, a growing risk of disease and ultimately death.” Therefore, as we get older, we have to take more care to avoid the risk of falls, injury or being exposed to disease. We can also be more vulnerable to the cold and illnesses that result from it because we are less active as we age, and many people find that their appetite decreases, and they eat less.
Discuss More With Helping Hands
Talk to us today to discover more about care at home with Helping Hands and how we can fit seamlessly into your wider healthcare team. We’ve been delivering exceptional quality care and support for people in the comfort and security of their own homes since we were established in 1989, so it’s no surprise we are the UK’s most trusted home care provider. We undertake every aspect of our customers’ routines, from medication, preparing your meals and continence care to supporting you to make the most of your local area. We’ll also tackle your housework so you can rest with a cup of tea while knowing your house remains clean and tidy. We’ll also help you to make sense of the terminology you see on your care plan.
Our extensive local branch network means we have a team in your area ready to deliver exceptional care, all of which is fully regulated by the Care Quality Commission and the Care Inspectorate Wales.
